On Tuesday (AEST), Philadelphia Eagles defensive players Malcolm Jenkins, Ron Brooks and Steven Means stood with raised fists during the anthem before facing the Chicago Bears, evoking memories of some of the most famous moments when sport and politics crossed paths.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos

Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Kennedy were both assassinated in 1968 as racial tension in the United States reached boiling point, which made the actions of Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the Mexico City Olympics that much more resonant.

After winning gold and bronze in the 200m respectively, the pair walked to the dais in black socks and raised their leather-gloved fists during the national anthem to protest against the treatment of African-Americans back home.

While his gesture was not as overt, Australian track star Peter Norman's decision to wear an Olympic project for Human Rights badge also cost him dearly, as none of the trio represented their countries at another Olympics.

Nicky Winmar

Eddie Betts, Cyril Rioli, Lance Franklin ... some of the most electrifying talents in the AFL are Indigenous and they all owe a lot to former Saint Nicky Winmar.

Racism from fans is something that rears its head far too often and Winmar refused to let it slide.

After receving some particularly despicable taunts from fans during a 1993 game against Collingwood, Winmar had had enough. Following St Kilda's 22-point win he lifted his guernsey and pointed to his skin while staring daggers into the crowd, saying he was "black and proud".

It became one of the most iconic images in sporting history and was the most important moment in the 17-season career of the two-time All Australian who was named in St Kilda's team of the century.

Muhammad Ali

Being willing to go to prison for your beliefs is as close to martyrdom as it gets, and that is what Muhammad Ali was ready to do in 1967.

When Ali confronted with an ultimatum — go to jail or join the fight in Vietnam — the boxing legend chose the former, asking why he should go and kill on foreign soil for a government that had robbed him and his people of so many rights.

He ultimately avoided prison but forfeited his heavyweight title and, while he reclaimed it after his eventual return, did not fight professionally between March 1967 and October 1970, which probably would have been the prime years of his career.

USA Olympic Team

Taking away hundreds of athletes' Olympic dreams is an unthinkably huge decision, but it was made by Team USA in 1980.

With Cold War and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in full swing, the United States Olympic Committee decided it would not be sending a team to the Moscow Games.

The move was criticised, praised and everything in between from voices all around the world, but was no doubt a gutsy move by an organisation unafraid to use the apparently non-political to make a powerful political message.

But it was not the actions of the players that we are highlighting here. Rather it is the decision by league administrators to take the 2017 All-Star weekend away from North Carolina as a result of its controversial anti-LGBT laws.

House Bill 2 (HB2) mandates transgender people use public restrooms corresponding to the sex listed on their birth certificates and omits gay and transgender people from discrimination protection.

The 2017 All Star weekend - which features the slam dunk contest, three-point shoot-out and the high-rating All Star game - has been moved to New Orleans.

North Carolina, home to some of college basketball's biggest teams, will also not be allowed to host any of the seven championship events scheduled to be held in the state in 2016/17 after the NCAA doubled down on its "commitment to fairness and inclusion".